October 2010

We're told weekends and Brink interviews are a winning combination, so we've assembled an all-new armada of developer Q&As for you.

Our friends at Rock, Paper, Shotgun managed to restrain Brink's lead writer Ed 'BongoBoy' Stern for some 25 minutes to ask him all manner of questions about the game and its recent appearance at Eurogamer Expo. The resulting chatfest is very entertaining indeed and can be enjoyed in both audio and video flavors.

Elsewhere, Ed hurled words in the general direction of Zo Knows Gaming, shedding light on the game's two factions, the reason behind Brink being pushed to Spring 2011, the worst-ever thing to happen during development, and more.

Next on the interview platter is Brink's Lead Designer Neil 'Exedore' Alphonso, who recently had a long chat with Games On Net. The Q&A covers how Brink came to be, accessibility vs hardcore fans, weapon customisation, as well as contentious design decisions.

Just in time for the weekend, we have some great new interviews with Splash Damage's CEO and Game Director Paul 'Locki' Wedgwood for you. The twist? Unlike the recent armada of Brink interviews, these are about anything but. So, if you're interested in learning more about the games industry and what inspires someone like Paul on a daily basis, these are absolutely 100% for you.

Our first stop is Wootfly.tv, where main Wootflier Joel Benton chats with Paul about all manner of stuff, including his favorite games and movies, as well as how Paul started out in the industry. It's a great chat available in three parts - be sure to watch all of them to find out what makes Paul tick:

Elsewhere, GamesIndustry.biz has published the first part of a colossal interview with Paul about Splash Damage and the games industry as a whole. Many a topic is discussed, including the state of UK developers, crunch, creating games with depth, and so much more. Free registration's required for this one, but it's a great look "under the hood."

Fall, undeniably the greatest season in the gaming calendar, is upon us and has begun to pour the annual harvest of blockbuster games all over our consoles/PCs/phones/abacuses. Ironically enough, the latest game to grip the office is Mount & Blade: Warband, with medieval armies being fielded regularly at lunch. Halo: Reach's Firefight, Fifa 11, and the ever-popular Left 4 Dead 2 round out our regular midday entertainment, though that's by no means all we're playing these days.

The tens of thousands of people attending this year's Eurogamer Expo have spoken and we can't believe our ears. Every year, the Eurogamer Expo folks poll attendees to find out which of the games playable at the show are their favourites. The list for this year's event has just been published, and we're utterly delighted to hear that Brink snagged the number one spot and has been named Game of Show! You can check out the complete list over on the Eurogamer website.

Once again, a huge thank you to everyone bracing the queues to play the game and hanging out with us at show - we

Coverage from Eurogamer Expo continues to explode onto the internet, delivering an extraordinary amount of new Brink interviews today. But wait, there's more!

The chaps over at Destructoid managed to film Brink Game Director Paul Wedgwood playing the game for a good four minutes, showing off some Container City gameplay, as well as character and weapon customisation. Elsewhere, both Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Gameroni have great new hands-on previews of Brink, as well.

Eurogamer Expo took place in London this past weekend, with some 20,000 people descending upon the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre to play all manner of upcoming titles. Brink was one of them, complete with a playable version of Container City, 16 kiosks, and a small contingent of Splash Damage folk. Brink consistently had one of the longest queues at the show, which delighted and humbled us all at the same time. We'd like to throw a huge Thank You out there to everyone who queued up to play the game - we hope you enjoyed it!

It wouldn't be a show without plenty of press coverage, and we've spotted a nice stack of previews, interviews, and podcasts for you to dig your way through. A special shout-out goes to Rock, Paper, Shotgun, who assaulted the Brink stand with a small army of willing combatants on Sunday morning to play the game. Their collective adventures and reflective thoughts are chronicled in a marvellous piece titled Rock, Paper, Shotgun vs Brink, which is sure to delight and entertain.

Before we get to the actual, factual press coverage part of this post, have a look at the excellent impressions posted in our forums by DarkangelUK, Jubag, and Hyperplutonium. All of three of them got to play Brink at the show and have compressed their thoughts and impressions into forum posts.